Curfew has also been imposed in Pimpri area of Pune following violent protests, state police control sources said.

There were also reports of trains being stopped near Pune by the protestors.

Coaches of Deccan Queen burnt, 91 BEST buses damaged in Mumbai

Five coaches of the Deccan Queen train were burnt and over 90 buses damaged in various parts of Mumbai during violent protests today against the alleged desceration of B R Ambedkar's statue in Kanpur.

"Five coaches of the Pune-Mumbai Deccan Queen were burnt by protestors at Ulhasnagar during a rail roko this afternoon," a Central Railway spokesperson told PTI here. No one was injured in the incident, he said.

According to reports, the protestors asked people to get out of the train before setting the coaches on fire.

There were also stone pelting incidents at Kherwadi, Kurar, Bandra's Pali Hill and Goregaon in northwest Mumbai, police said.

Buses of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) were being targeted specifically by protestors, who were pelting stones during rasta rokos, police said.

A BEST spokesman said 91 of its buses had been damaged in stone pelting. "Four drivers and a woman passenger were injured due to the incidents across the city," he said.

BEST's entire fleet is on the roads but some routes are being diverted as precaution, he said.

Protestors from dalit groups organised rail rokos at Bhandup and Airoli stations on the Central Railway line in the morning, affecting services briefly, a spokesperson said.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil has asked police to take necessary measures to ensure that the law and order situation in the state remains under control, a home department official said.

Similar incidents were also reported from the neighbouring Thane district, police said.

In Aurangabad, police fired one round in the air last night to disperse a crowd of 1,000 Dalit protestors demonstrating at Mukundwadi area of the city.

According to police, the protestors gathered on Jalna Road in Mukundwadi at around 9 pm on Wednesday and subsequently some of them began pelting stones at vehicles passing by.

A police team, which reached the spot by around 10 pm, failed to pacify the protesters, who then turned their ire against the police contingent.

In the ensuing melee, six persons, including sub-inspector and a constable, were injured, prompting the police to fire in the air.
The injured were admitted to a city hospital.

Curfew has been clamped and extra police force deployed in Nandurbar town of north Maharashtra after a demonstration taken by Dalit organizations this morning took a violent turn, police said.

Twenty-four persons were injured in the violence.

The protestors, who took out the march to the district collector's office, pelted stones on shops and vehicles, they said.

In Nasik district, Dalit activists tried to set afire a Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus in Ambad area this morning, police said.

Protesters had damaged 100 vehicles and set on fire one MSRTC bus at Sinnar-Phata in the district yesterday.

MSRTC suspended its city bus service to all routes in Nasik, affecting commuters, after suffering heavy losses in the ongoing protests, MSRTC officials said.

Stone-pelting was also reported in Bhim Nagar locality in Nasik Road area today, where commercial establishments and banks remained closed. The functioning of educational institutions too were adversely affected here, police said.

Three persons were arrested for allegedly lynching Dalit youth Rangnath Shankar Dhale, 23, last night on Jail Road after he was found pelting stones at vehicles, police said.

Dhale's body was brought to the Nasik Civil Hospital for autopsy and will be cremated later in the day on Nasik Road.
Meanwhile, Republican Party of India leaders Dadabhau Nikam and Priya Kirti Tribhuvan urged people to remain calm and assist the police to normalise the situation.

Public Works Department Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, who is also guardian minister of Nasik, has been currently touring trouble-torn areas and taking stock of the situation of the city, officials said.

There were also been incidents of violent protesting in Kherwadi in Bandra East, where around 15 to 20 agitators pelted stones on passing vehicles.

In neighbouring city of Thane, the corporation-run buses are off the road due to some instances of stone pelting on the vehicles. Autorickshawas were also not plying in the city.
Protestors have forced owners of shops and establishments to down shutters and only emergency services are operating in Thane.

Violent protests have also been reported from the satellite township of Navi Mumbai.

Reports of traffic snarl and stone pelting were reported from Turbhe, Rable, Tigart and on busy Thane-Belapur road, the police said.

Buses of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) and autorickshawas are off the road. Protestors have forcefully closed shops and establishments in some pockets, police said.

Meanwhile, continuing agitation by the people in Dapodi, Khirkee and Pimpri areas affected train services between Pune and Mumbai in the morning, railway sources said.
Agitators in small groups as part of their ‘rail-roko’ agitation squatted on the tracks at Dapodi, Khirkee and Pimpri.
Personnel from Rapid Action Force rushed to the spots and cleared the tracks, the sources said.URL: http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=77598

benchod bhosdekar folks. Put a chapal ka haar on his statue and as soon as they assemble around in group to start a riot just shoot the bloody bastards. I dont see why our riot police lets these bastards get away with it. They fling a molotov you fire a couple of rounds up their arse. Show a finger, break all ten of their fingers. This pussy footing attitude by our police allows these people to get away with this property damage. Fukin road side shitters.

benchod bhosdekar folks. Put a chapal ka haar on his statue and as soon as they assemble around in group to start a riot just shoot the bloody bastards. I dont see why our riot police lets these bastards get away with it. They fling a molotov you fire a couple of rounds up their arse. Show a finger, break all ten of their fingers. This pussy footing attitude by our police allows these people to get away with this property damage. Fukin road side shitters.

Yaar Padhu, What do you think? These cops don't wanna do anything?
If they will do something, freakin politicians will come out in the defence of bhosdekars. Majority of the cops are non-bhosdekars, and hate them too. But our politicians are worst than these ppl. Vote-bank ka sawaal hai bhai. Tel lene jaaye baaki ke log. Only these ppl vote. Non bhosdekars don't.

benchod bhosdekar folks. Put a chapal ka haar on his statue and as soon as they assemble around in group to start a riot just shoot the bloody bastards. I dont see why our riot police lets these bastards get away with it. They fling a molotov you fire a couple of rounds up their arse. Show a finger, break all ten of their fingers. This pussy footing attitude by our police allows these people to get away with this property damage. Fukin road side shitters.

Padhu, many cops are also bhosdekars. Bhosdekars are a major vote bank for Congress and their ally RPI.

So if you hit back at Bhosdekars, Congress will loose support.

If you go to villages, you will notice that only caste is important. Hence politicial parties jump hoops to ensure that they have a proper caste candidate for elections in rural areas.

We, the educated, do not vote correctly. We want to vote based on how good a politician is, how good his social service work is, etc. We dont vote on caste or religion basis and hence our value as a vote bank does not exist.

So when such non-sense occurs, its the city folks or the educated folks in towns who suffer.

But, I have decided to deify Sonia-ji as my desh-mata. She is amazing - Who could imagine a two bit Italian waitress would rule a billion plus morons!

Padhu, many cops are also bhosdekars. Bhosdekars are a major vote bank for Congress and their ally RPI.

So if you hit back at Bhosdekars, Congress will loose support.

We, the educated, do not vote correctly. We want to vote based on how good a politician is, how good his social service work is, etc. We dont vote on caste or religion basis and hence our value as a vote bank does not exist.

eCharcha pai I think you have gone wrong just a bit. Even educated people vote on basis of religion. I have a Parsi friend from Mumbai and is educated but he votes for the Kangress because Indira Gandhi had married a Parsi Feroz Gandhi. Infact once he had come down all the way from the US just to vote for the Kangress party a party who deifies a lady who had married a Parsi.

So it's the Scheduled castes (Baba ******ekars), Muslims, Christians and other minorities like Parsis who vote en mass sticking together to bring a Babasaheb ******ekar tolerating, caste based reservation espousing Kangress to power.

I saw the Zee News again... felt really sad when I saw the Deccan Queen burning.

I have travelled on this magnificent train a couple of times. Infact just last year or so it completed 75 years of service! It was the first luxury train in Maharashtra running between Pune and Mumbai twice a day! It is the pride of Mumbaikars and Punekars both.

How these stupid morons burnt it down is an act directly opposite of a creative act.

I really really hate Jawaharlal Nehru who appointed Babasaheb Ambedkar to draft the Constitution. I really felt pure rage and anguish at how this one evil scheming bastard Ambedkar screwed India permanently.

That statue of Bhosdekar should be criminally prosecuted and then torn down completely. Na rahega bhansuri na aayega bhaas.

I am quoting the article you mention here for a reason... just read on..

Quote:

Pune, Nov 30 (IANS) Thousands of Dalits went on the rampage in Maharashtra Thursday burning two trains and attacking public and private transport to protest against the desecration of a statue of Dalit icon B.R. Ambedkar as police firing claimed two lives in Nashik.

In daylong violence, mobs stopped the Pune-bound Deccan Queen train at Ulhasnagar, 135 km from here, and set it ablaze after ordering passengers to disembark.

Two and a half hours later, another mob stopped a Mumbai-Karjat point-to-point local train, also near Ulhasnagar, and set four coaches - two in the front and two in the back - on fire, also after asking the passengers to get off.

No one was injured in either incident. Firefighters managed to control the blaze from spreading to the whole of Deccan Queen, a hugely popular and 77-year-old train that plies daily between Mumbai and Pune.

The firefighters rushed to the site of the second burning train too. By then, however, leaping flames had destroyed some of the coaches.

Violence also erupted in several places in Maharashtra including Mumbai. Buses and private vehicles were stoned in several places in the country's financial capital including Andheri, Santa Cruz, Worli, Khar, Mulund, Bandra and Chembur, causing widespread confusion and panic.

Policemen rushed from one site to another to disperse the mobs, making summary arrests. Authorities imposed curfew in parts of the state.

The sudden outburst of violence was sparked by Wednesday's desecration of Ambedkar's statue in Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, scenes of which were beamed to all parts of the country by television channels.

As the news spread in Mumbai and other parts of Maharasthra Thursday, Dalits - already furious over the killing of a five-member family in Khairlanji in Nagpur district - went on the rampage. Dalits regard Ambedkar, one of the framers of the Indian constitution, as a virtual god.

Pune Police Commissioner Himanshu Roy told IANS that the situation "is tense and there are pockets of trouble but it will be contained".

Train services were immediately suspended between Mumbai and Pune, and also in Mumbai and in neighbouring areas including Thane district.

Railway spokesman I.K. Chari in New Delhi told IANS that the railways had convened an emergency meeting to discuss the situation in the wake of the train arson.

Also Thursday, the police opened fire at a mob in Nashik killing a 23-year-old man and a 13-year-old boy. The man died instantly while the boy succumbed to his injuries in a hospital.

Thousands dependent on public transport were left stranded in Mumbai in the wake of the violence. Most incidents took place in suburban and central parts of Mumbai.

"There is total confusion because trains have stopped plying," a resident of Dombivili town in Thane district told IANS. Electric trains are the lifeline of Mumbai and its environs, transporting millions every day.

Maharasthra Director General of Police P.S. Pasricha told reporters that the situation would be "under control by evening".

"It was natural for some reaction because of what happened in Kanpur," he said. "The situation should be under control by today evening."

Please see the highlighted paragraph above.

Our media thinks journalism means showing anything and everything without giving thought to aftereffects. Not that such news should be hidden from the public, but I am sure our media channels add a lot of spice before broadcasting a story.

The other day, I was seeing Zee News and I could not believe it that they spent 10 minutes on Amitabh Bacchan, Abhishek Bacchan, Jaya Bacchan and Aishwarya Rai visiting some temple in the North. I thought this would be a passing mention, but they kept on showing reactions of people in film industry over this news and what they thought this meant, etc. Out of curiosity I marked the time and it was 10 minutes plus!

Then one more time, Zee news spent 7 minutes or so on some two bit bimbo Rakhee Sawant and her statements about how she would never perform in Maharashtra.

If this is the level and quality of news being shown, with extra unnecessary spice added, then I would go back to DoorDarshan news which I am sure is much better. DoorDarshan is always biased to the ruling party as its a government run affair, but atleast they dont have such blatant sensationalism and 'creation of events' (like Bacchan news) to titillate the audience.

Lucknow, Dec 1 (IANS) The Uttar Pradesh Police arrested a young dalit, who confessed having vandalised the statue of B.R. Ambedkar in Kanpur earlier this week, that triggered violent protests in Maharashtra.The arrested man was identified as Arun Valmiki, a resident of Sarojini Nagar locality in the north Indian state's major industrial town.Deputy Inspector General of Police Daljit Chaudhary told IANS Friday: "Valmiki has confessed to damaging the Ambedkar statue Wednesday along with his two friends." According to him, Valmiki claimed that he and his friends committed the act in a drunken state and had no specific motive behind vandalising the statue of the architect of the Indian constitution."We are in the process of tracking down the two other culprits," Chaudhary added.

Lucknow, Dec 1 (IANS) The Uttar Pradesh Police arrested a young dalit, who confessed having vandalised the statue of B.R. Ambedkar in Kanpur earlier this week, that triggered violent protests in Maharashtra.The arrested man was identified as Arun Valmiki, a resident of Sarojini Nagar locality in the north Indian state's major industrial town.Deputy Inspector General of Police Daljit Chaudhary told IANS Friday: "Valmiki has confessed to damaging the Ambedkar statue Wednesday along with his two friends." According to him, Valmiki claimed that he and his friends committed the act in a drunken state and had no specific motive behind vandalising the statue of the architect of the Indian constitution."We are in the process of tracking down the two other culprits," Chaudhary added.

Ha ha ha ha.. These fucking Dalits!!

BUt the same Dalits who are now arrested all across Maharashtra for particpating in rioting should be flogged and then their property attached to pay for the damages.

The Uttar Pradesh Police arrested a young dalit, who confessed having vandalised the statue of B.R. Ambedkar in Kanpur earlier this week, that triggered violent protests in Maharashtra.

It seems the young dalit was forced by the cops to make such a statement...
All this is frikkin happening coz UP elections are close by and the Dalit guys have no other agenda... bekaar mein aam janta has to die / be affected by all this crap...

It seems the young dalit was forced by the cops to make such a statement...
All this is frikkin happening coz UP elections are close by and the Dalit guys have no other agenda... bekaar mein aam janta has to die / be affected by all this crap...

Basically, the cops would have gone and found a upper caste or Brahmin to help the politicians prove that Dalits are being persecuted! I cannot believe the fact that the police actually caught the real culprits!